


Bedtime Stories

by RaeSone99



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Bedtime Stories, Future Fic, Gen, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-03
Updated: 2015-03-03
Packaged: 2018-03-16 05:12:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3475748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaeSone99/pseuds/RaeSone99
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in the future, Oliver tells little Sara a bedtime story. Little does he know he's got some competition.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bedtime Stories

**Author's Note:**

> Of course the characters belong to "Arrow" and the writers ^-^

"And that's how I met your Aunt Felicity," Oliver ended sonorously.

 He was sitting in a small chair in four year old Sara's room, beside her bedside. The four year old in question was under his care for the evening while John and Lyla stepped out for a night on the town. Last weekend Felicity had taken her turn and this weekend was his turn. Sara's parent's would return the favor the next two weekends. Behind him Sara's fish tank bubbled quietly and Oliver found himself wiggling his toes in the softest rug he'd ever felt. Beside him was a night light beside a small table with warm milk. All in all Sara's room oozed feelings of peacefulness and bedtime. Seeing that his work was done he tucked the covers under her chin and began to creep to the door. If he left now he'd catch the end of "Pain and Poor Decisions" a show that he denied watching to everyone but had gotten hooked on. Tonight Faith was going to tell Oscar that she was involved with Ruben.  Placing a hand on the doorframe he looked back at little Sara who had a tiny adorable frown on her face as she slept. He smiled to himself and was beginning to head to the front room when he heard a tiny high pitched voice say,

"That's not how Aunt Felicity tells that story."

Oliver froze. Maybe she was sleep talking. When he didn't hear anything else he began to creep forward again,

"That's not how Daddy tells that story either." Unable to help himself Oliver rose to the bait and turned and sat back down in the chair.  Crossing his arms he stared at the little girl who was pretending to be asleep.

"How does Aunt Felicity tell the story then? Because that's what happened." He sounded like a five year old but he couldn't help it. Telling the best bedtime story to Sara had become something of a competition between him and Felicity. He was winning. Not that it mattered.

With both eyes closed Sara said, "When Aunt Felicity tells it she says that there was a boat ride, and everyone was singing 'at last I saw the light' and there were um floating lights, and you promised her you'd never climb mountains without gloves on again. And then you lived happily ever after, until I was born and then you were even happier." The little girl opened her eyes and stared at him with a very Diggle expression that made him want to kiss her on the forehead and then tickle her. "And then Aunt Felicity said, 'And that's my story and I'm sticking to it.'"

Oliver stared at Sara for a second contemplating his next move. It was obvious that _Aunt Felicity_ had taken advantage of the fact that Sara had yet to see all of the Disney movies, and juiced her story up. He could back Felicity up and admit that her story was better or...

"Well let me tell you another story then."

Sara broke out in a smile that made his heart melt and he couldn't help but smile back.

"But this time you have to promise me that you'll go to sleep okay?"

"Okay!"  Sara watched him with rapt attention.

"Close your eyes," he reminded her. Sara smushed her eyes closed in a show of how asleep she'd be, which made Oliver laugh, "Maybe not that tight." Her eyebrows relaxed and Oliver began his story.

"This story is mostly true," he began, "It was a Wednesday. I remember because Pain and Poor... well never mind. Once upon a Wednesday, your daddy, Aunt Felicity, and I decided to go take down some bad guys. These bad guys were running an illegal...stuffed toy parlor and making all the little kids sad."

Sara stared at him with round brown eyes, "Are all the toys okay? What's a parlor? and what's illegal mean?"

Oliver cleared his throat, "A parlor is a room. And illegal is when you break the rules or the law. And shh, I thought we had a deal remember?"

Sara closed her eyes again and Oliver continued, "Anyway everything was going great until your Aunt Felicity and your favorite Uncle decided to go take down the head bad guy while your dad made sure all the toys made it safely in the getaway van. Just as they were about to arrest him, er scold him for making the kids sad he broke free and ran for the door."

With her eyes still closed Sara whispered, "You guys should have taken back up!"

Oliver frowned lightly. Maybe they'd told her one to many op stories. Of course John and Lyla were her parents... "You're right, now shhh," he whispered gently.

"Just as we thought he'd escape your dad pulled out his, um, silly string gun, and shot his legs, yeah. He shot his legs, so that the head bad guy slipped and fell and bumped his head and promised to never do it again. And then me, Aunt Felicity, and your dad all high fived. The end."

"What about the toys?" Sara yawned. 

Oliver grabbed the glass of milk off of her night stand table and stood up, but not before kissing Sara gently on the forehead.

"All the toys made it back home safely and all of the kids were happy again. The end." 

Taking one more look at John and Lyla's little girl he smiled to himself softly, "Goodnight Sara." 

"g'night Uncle Ol'ver."

As he pulled the door to, and padded towards the kitchen Oliver's smile faded. He left out the part where the bad guy got off a lucky shot and injured Diggle. He also left out the part where the nightmares from that mission had haunted him for months afterwards. But he figured he was supposed to. Besides after that mission he'd proposed to Felicity and she'd said yes.

Speaking of Felicity...Oliver pulled out his phone and called his wife. She picked up on the second ring,

"Hey Oliver, I'm almost done here. How's Sara?"

Oliver plopped himself down on the couch and turned on the tv. Maybe he'd be able to catch the last five minutes of his show. 

"She's great. Sleeping like an angel. By the way, floating lights? A boat ride? Singing?" He pressed his ear to the phone to listen to Felicity's laughter.

"I didn't know what to do! I told her our story and she was just looking at me completely unimpressed so I improvised. I panicked under pressure!"

Oliver grinned, "She does a very good John sometimes."

"Plenty of Lyla in there too. Okay, I'm leaving the office and headed to the car. I'll see you when you get home? Or are you going to the new lair? Because I can..."

"I'm headed home," Oliver interrupted gently, "See you there. I love you."

"I love you too. Bye."

The phone disconnected and Oliver settled into the couch cushions to wait for the Diggle's to get home. He smiled to himself. No matter how she felt now, he knew that one day, when they told Sara their story, she'd be impressed. In the meantime he'd do everything in his power to make sure they got their happy ending.

The End...almost...

_ring ring_

Oliver cracked open an eyelid and glanced at the time. It was 7am on a Sunday. He didn't want to hope there was an emergency but there'd better be an emergency.

Reaching over his wife to the night stand he gripped the phone and answered Diggle's call. Felicity mumbled something before resuming snoring.

"Yeah Dig? What's wrong?"

"I don't know. But maybe you can tell me why my precious four year old daughter just informed me that coloring out of the lines is illegal?" John sounded a little bothered. Okay, very bothered.

Oliver snorted, "I don't know Dig. Maybe the same reason my son is under the impression that the Flash is a cooler hero than Green Arrow?"  

There was a pause on the other end of the line and then a gruff,

"Thanks for teaching my daughter a new word." 

Oliver smiled at the ceiling already headed back to sleep. 

"Anytime brother. Anytime."

 The End.


End file.
